Changing Perception
by Theralion
Summary: Chrono learns that there's often more to the people you admire than meets the eye. But sometimes, when they do something seemingly out of character, the reasons for such an action had always been there.
1. Prologue and First Impressions

**Changing Perception  
**

**Prologue**

Admiral Gil Graham, a respected officer of the Time-Space Administrative Bureau and one of my mentors, resigned in disgrace after aiding and abetting enemies of the Bureau in order to activate a Lost Logia for his own ends.

When I reflect on that simple truth, it seems almost incomprehensible to me even now; I would have dismissed it as mad speculation or a tasteless joke back then.

But people are not always what they seem. Those with good intentions can often do terrible things in order to achieve their goals, sometimes losing sight of what they hoped to accomplish in the process. Others do not always practice what they preach. I'm not the only person who's learned this lesson, or even the person who's been taught it the most harshly, but it was still a painful lesson to learn. My name is Chrono Harlaown, a member of the Time Space Administration Bureau, and one of Admiral Graham's pupils.

The story did not begin when Admiral Graham performed actions I did not think characteristic of him. It did not begin with my suspicions of him. It began the first time I met him, when an image of him was first planted in my mind, as well as knowledge of events, ideas and information about him, the relevance of which would not become apparent until years later.

You most likely are someone who knows all about Admiral Graham- both his reputation in the Bureau and his fall from grace. Now I will show you what it is like to trust someone, have that trust broken, and, after weighing the reasons for the former against what caused the latter, coming to a new understanding. If the people who we look up to are not what they seem, who are they?

* * *

**Chapter 1: First Impressions**

First impressions are important, since they comprise the entirety of your knowledge about the person as you try to learn more. You may be proven wrong later, but you never quite forget them.

But when I went to meet Admiral Graham to begin my studies at his house, at the age of five, I was not thinking about the impression he would make on me, but the one I would give to him. I wore a navy blue suit, the closest thing I had to a Bureau uniform at the moment, and had reviewed protocol and etiquette Bureau officers show to their superiors. I was not a Bureau officer yet, but I wanted to show I could act like one. I wanted to convince Admiral Graham that my mother was not pushing me into the Bureau on a whim, but this was something I had chosen to do, I had prepared for and I was prepared to commit to entirely without relying on anyone else.

As I walked into the lobby of the Bureau office where I was told to meet Admiral Graham, I could not help but feel slightly intimidated. While I looked fairly nice as I was, I was surrounded by blue-suited Bureau officials. What was, for me, looking and acting my best was for them a daily routine.

"Welcome; how may I help you, sir?" a woman with short brown hair and a blue uniform with a matching necktie, said.

I was slightly surprised at how polite she was to me. She was likely trained to treat everyone approaching the desk as a superior, but however low her rank was, she had been through months of Bureau training, something I had yet to even begin.

"Yes, ma'am," I said. "My name is Chrono Harlaown, and I'm here to meet with Admiral Graham."

"I will let the Admiral know you're here," the receptionist said.

"Thank you," I said.

"Chrono Harlaown-sama is here to see you, Admiral Graham," she said. After a pause, she said, "Yes, sir, I will let him know." She hung up the phone. "Please take a seat; the Admiral will be out in a few minutes.

My politeness had a pragmatic element to it, as it was important to be nice to people like receptionists, since they would likely report back to the people I hoped to meet. I sat and waited patiently for a few minutes, and then saw an elderly man in a blue uniform matching Admiral Graham's description arriving. I had heard of him before, and of his many accomplishments in the Bureau, but upon seeing him, I was overwhelmed with a mixture of awe in being in the presence of such a person, and nervousness in how to best conduct myself.

"Chrono Harlaown?" he called out to me.

"Chrono Harlaown reporting, sir!" I said to Admiral Graham, standing at attention and saluting him

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Chrono," Admiral Graham said, returning the salute. "I'm Admiral Gil Graham; I suppose you've been told about me."

"Yes, my mother told me about you. It's an honor to learn from you, sir."

"You mean Admiral Lindy," he said.

"I…I beg your pardon, sir?" I said. My professional countenance holds up only as long as I am able to know what to do in a given situation, and Admiral Graham had said something that I did not, at the time, expect to hear.

"Being the child of a high-ranking Bureau member has several expectations related to it so that you and Admiral Lindy can avoid any accusations of trying to take advantage of familial connections to be promoted beyond your merit," he said. "Among them are recognizing that whatever you may be in private, you are fellow bureau officers first, especially when you are superior and subordinate. The least you can do to recognize that distinction is refer to her by her rank."

I took a moment to ponder the meaning of what he said before saying the only thing that seemed to be a reasonable response.

"P…please forgive me, sir," I said. "I meant to say that the Admiral has told me about you."

"No, no, I didn't say I was angry, Chrono," Admiral Graham said pleasantly. "In fact, I'm glad you made that mistake here, so I could correct you and tell you what you needed to do. Think of it as your first lesson."

I was somewhat confused at Admiral Graham's response. My mother had urged me to make a good first impression on him, suggesting that this was a rare opportunity that I did not get solely by virtue of being her son. And now that I had made a faux-pas in front of him within minutes of our meeting, he was telling me it was a good thing.

"Please tell me what you mean by this, Admiral," I said.

"Bureau officers have a difficult job. A mistake could potentially result in your death, that of a mage you serve alongside, or of someone you are trying to protect. However, while I am teaching you, you will be preparing for the future, in a safe environment. I do have certain expectations of you and will let you know how well you are fulfilling them. The worst that can happen is I will send you home to Admiral Lindy if you are not able to meet my expectations, but that's a fairly extreme scenario. So when in doubt, as long as you're in my tutelage, do what comes to mind and make mistakes while there's no cost to you or anyone else."

We then got into the car to Admiral Graham's place, a house some distance from Clanagan City. In the car, we continued our conversation.

"And going back to what we were talking about earlier," Admiral Graham said, "Your mistake was a fairly small one in a very complex subject. Parents and children in the Bureau together sometimes have to balance their professional relationship and their familial one. For you, it's a relatively simple task of doing whatever your superior- even if she is your mother- orders you to, although you may find your perception of her changed while on duty. For your mother and superior, it means treating you like any other subordinate, and always asking herself whether any factors besides what she believes to be best for the mission and what she is allowed to do are influencing her decisions."

"Admiral, are you saying that I don't know my mo- the Admiral?"

"I think you know _your mother_, but only as a mother," Admiral Graham said. "I only know _Admiral Lindy_, the woman who's polite to superiors and subordinates, is hard-working, fair and has a strong sense of justice. You may have noticed those things in her, but she may treat you slightly differently as a subordinate, in order to put aside her private self so that she can serve as an Admiral to the best of her ability. In short, how people act is largely determined by their circumstances, and you must act in a way becoming of a Bureau officer while fulfilling that role."

"What about you, Admiral?" I said. "What role are you playing right now?"

"The same applies to me," Admiral Graham. "To an extent, what you see of me is the image I put forth as a man in a high rank in the Bureau, but during our time together, you may learn things that some of those who have been my subordinates for years may not know, simply because they have not seen in me in any other context than as their commanding officer."

* * *

For most of the rest of the trip, we talked about each other; Admiral Graham struck me as a surprisingly relaxed and friendly individual, even when acting as an admiral. We eventually arrived at Admiral Graham's home; a two-story house seemed large enough for three or four people. Graham pushed the buzzer at the door, and said "I'm home."

A young woman with shoulder-length hair, and a similarly dressed woman with shorter hair answered the door.

"Welcome home, Father," the two said.

For a moment, I assumed that they were his daughters, but then became confused as I realized that Admiral Graham was never married.

"It's good to be home, Aria, Lotte," Admiral Graham said. "Chrono, these are Aria and Lotte Lieze, my two familiars. Aria, Lotte, this is Chrono Harlaown, Admirals Lindy and Clyde's son, who will be staying with me and learning about serving in the Bureau."

"It's nice to meet you," I said. "Please treat me kindly while I am here."  
"I'm glad to meet you, Chrono," Aria said.

"Same here!" Lotte said energetically

"But if I may ask, Admiral, how are the two of them your familiars? I did not think such a thing possible."

"Neither did I, at first," Admiral Graham said. "As a younger man, I chanced upon a cat that had died after delivering kittens; only two kittens from the litter were still alive, and those two were dying. I had the ability and training to make a contract with a familiar, but conventional wisdom dictated that I could only choose one to make my familiar while leaving the other to her fate. And yet, somehow, I was able to simultaneously establish contracts with both of the newborn kittens as familiars."

"For that reason, we consider him our father," Lotte said.

"Father's contract with us is open-ended, but we choose to stay by his side," Aria said. "We owe him so much, and respect him for all he's done over the years, devoting his life to protecting people and upholding the law."

"That's amazing, Admiral," I said.

"As I got older, though," he said, "I realized the world doesn't always work out that that way, and you often have to make difficult choices. Sometimes, in trying to save everything, you might end up with nothing. But in that situation, some magical talent and daring enabled me to avoid having to make such a decision, and achieve the best possible outcome."

It was at that point that I decided that I would learn all I could from Admiral Graham and the Lieze Twins. I wanted to gain enough skill so that I could make the choices no one had considered before and save everybody when I could.

Unfortunately, I soon learned that I had farther to go to reach that goal than I thought.

* * *

My training began the next day, after I was fully settled in. Admiral Graham taught me about what it meant to be an officer, including etiquette, office work, the history of the Bureau and investigation.

The Lieze twins' combat training, however, did not go so well. My first actual sparring match with them began with me gravely outmatched, and I was quickly defeated.

"You know, Chro-suke, if we were criminal mages, you'd probably be dead right now," Lotte said. I couldn't tell if she was making a macabre joke or being completely serious for once, given she had enjoyed teasing me mercilessly for my serious demeanor.

"Lotte's right, Chrono," Aria said. "As Father has most likely told you, this is meant as a time for you to make mistakes and fail without consequences. Truly, hardly anyone is combat-ready from the get-go, and those few who are able to jump into battle without training are typically exceptionally talented and lucky, but not enough that they can't benefit from training."

"Unfortunately, you don't have enough talent or luck to do that," Lotte said. "I don't think there's any kind of special way to boost your skills quickly, so the only way left is to work your butt off."

I think Lotte was thinking of the term "magical." Mid-Childia may have magic, but there are limits to what we can do, and we have the ability to imagine what we cannot do; fictional stories include characters who can do things that no existing Lost Logia or type of magic can accomplish.

But Lotte was right, and it took a great deal of training and hard work to get where I was, as well as many lessons that would, in real life situations, have ended with me failing my mission or dying. In spite of how much I benefited from their training and the effort I put into it, the twins and Admiral Graham also made it clear that my training would not prepare me for everything, and I would have to learn how to deal with a situation out of my control, or in the worst case, an utter failure.

* * *

For a long time, it was difficult for me to admit my early struggles and mistakes to others. When I was younger, I was very sensitive about making any mistakes, or even allowing my façade as a perfect Bureau officer to slip even for a moment, motivated by a mixture of professionalism, perfectionism and pride. I gave my superiors my respect, and my equals or subordinates a strictly business-like treatment. It enabled me to get by and earn some respect, but did not make me many friends.

As I became older, I became calmer, and more secure that my behavior was acceptable for an officer. Ironically, in focusing less on how I came across to others, I was better able to present myself professionally.

I also realized the value of remembering one's humbler beginnings. It's empowering to think that someone without much apparent talent can go far with sufficient and properly applied dedication. It can also be humbling to realize that the greatest of us make mistakes; you may have the potential to climb to the top if you're no different from those at the top in that you make mistakes, but you should never think yourself infallible for that same reason.

The same went for Admiral Graham. And while I was aware even then that he was not perfect, little did I know that he had failed to move beyond one past mistake, and would, as a result, start on the path toward making another one.

* * *

**Author's Note**

This story was written to explore Chrono's changing perception of Admiral Gil Graham, who turns out to be hatching his own unethical and illegal plan to seal away the Book of Darkness in A's. I wrote it to explore just who Graham is to Chrono, how Chrono reacts when faced with learning about Graham's plan, and what it means for him in the future. Ultimately, Chrono is the type to do what must be done, but the experience most likely affected him on some level, even if he is hesitant to admit it. The story will also deal with what it means to know someone else, and how those first impressions change over time.

The story will be five chapters long, and each will cover a stage of Chrono's developing perspective on Graham.

It's interesting seeing how Chrono was starting out in the Bureau, especially when you consider Lotte and Aria saying that it was initially difficult for him to learn magical combat. I can see him making mistakes, and being less than secure about his position, although he does his best to hide this behind a mask of stoic professionalism. The mask does slip sometimes, such as when Nanoha comments that he's a nice guy when he says Fate's circumstances will be considered, prompting him to say that he's just doing his job. As an Admiral in StrikerS, he's much more laid-back than when he was an Enforcer in A's, to the point at which it's noted that he's more like a kid than he was back then. Perhaps he mellowed out, or he's become more confident, enough so that he can act naturally, and be professional without losing his cool or seeming as though he's trying too hard.

One thing to notice about Chrono is that he only refers to Lindy as his mother twice- and one occasion was when he was exceptionally flustered by her decision to allow Nanoha and Yuuno to help with the investigation. It's also interesting to note the difference in how he acts around his superiors (Admirals Lindy, Letty and Graham).

I realized late in the process of writing this story, upon another review of Sound Stage 2 of A's, that Chrono has been training with the Lieze twins since he was five years old; the story originally seemed to suggest that he was at Admiral Graham's relatively soon before he enrolled in the TSAB academy. I rewrote what I could, and hope this meshes with the canon well enough.


	2. Painful Lessons

**Chapter 2: Painful Lessons**

My training continued, with Aria and Lotte teaching me magic and battle strategy, while Admiral Graham gave me instruction in being an officer, particularly Bureau protocol, leadership and the difficult decisions that came with the job.

"Chrono, do you remember what the point of the story behind my making Aria and Lotte my familiars was?" Admiral Graham said during one of our lessons.

"Yes, sir," I said. "The point was that in situations in which you must seemingly choose who lives and who dies, it may be possible to save everyone."

"That's correct," Admiral Graham said. "But the inverse is true as well; it may be possible that your efforts will not succeed in saving anyone in a similar situation, if it is even possible to do so at all. Let' say two ships- the Asura and the Behemoth- are under attack, in faraway locations, and your ship can only save one. If you choose to save the Asura, you likely do so knowing that the Behemoth is doomed, but what happens if the Asura's crew is already dead by the time you arrive? And could you say it would have gone differently if you had went after the Behemoth?"

"So is there no correct answer here?" I said.

"There may not be," Admiral Graham said, "especially in situations in which the choice you didn't make seems to be the correct one; who's to say that something you didn't know or couldn't foresee wouldn't have affected the outcome for the worse had you made another choice? Even if one choice is preferable, you shouldn't expect it to always be pleasant; you may end up minimizing the death toll rather than saving lives. All you can do in those situations is decide what seems to be right based on what you know at the time."

It was somewhat surprising hearing that someone I had respected so much often felt powerless, although my mother told me later that anyone who never felt that way had either never faced any challenging situations, or was simply arrogant. And while in hindsight, I knew it was naive to think you could save everyone, the idea that you could not only fail to do so, but that there were times when you could not possibly succeed was sobering.

* * *

Eventually, near the end of my training with him, when I had been officially accepted into the Bureau academy, I learned what he was referring to.

"Chrono, you've come a long way during your time here, and I think it's time I told you something important." A moment of silence followed, and Aria and Lotte's faces suddenly turned concerned, while Graham turned to them with a grimly resolute expression. I could tell a telepathic exchange was taking place, although I could not hear what they were discussing. "It's about your father, Admiral Clyde, and the last mission he was carrying out. How much have you heard?"

"Only the basics, sir," I said. "According to the official report, he stayed behind on his ship and sacrificed his life so that everyone else could escape."

"That's the essential story," Admiral Graham said. "His ship, the Hestia, was carrying a powerful Lost Logia known as the Book of Darkness, and the ship I was captaining was part of the escort group. Like some Lost Logias, however, the Book had a will of its own, and took control of the ship. Admiral Clyde evacuated the Hestia, but was unable to stop the Book from taking control of the ship's systems, including the Arc-En-Ciel. If the Hestia had fired its Arc-En-Ciel, it would have annihilated the Bureau personnel in area kilometers in diameter, myself and the twins included. But he remained aboard the ship, doing what he could to prevent it from happening, and ordered me to fire my ship's Arc-en-ciel, destroying his ship and ending his life."

I was almost overwhelmed hearing about the details of my father's death. I had to wonder- what went through his mind during his final moments, especially after the point at which he realized there was no way for him to survive that he could accept? When did he accept this solution, and did he die believing he would succeed? Most importantly of all, was his sacrifice worthwhile?

"So did my father… destroy the book of Darkness once and for all?"

Admiral Graham sighed. Despite being a very calm person, I think at this moment, he was the closest to tears that I had ever seen him.

"No," he said solemnly, letting his response sink in.

We remained silent for several seconds as I pondered Admiral Graham's response and realized that the Book was still out there, and that quite possibly, another boy would lose his father.

"The book of Darkness is one of the most dangerous Lost Logia in existence," he said. "It starts out with 666 empty pages, fills with mana gathered from its victims, and when it is full, destroys the planet it is on and re-appears elsewhere. So far, no solution exists to this, although we try to find one whenever the Book appears."

So the book had survived, in spite of the fact that my father had not, and its threat would continue again elsewhere. Admiral Graham anticipated my next question, and continued onward.

"In spite of the Book's continued existence, believe your father did the right thing," Admiral Graham said. "But know this, Chrono. The time may come where you may have to lay down your life for a mission, for those of your allies, or for something you believe in. And yet, in some of those cases, your single life might not be enough of a price to pay in order accomplish whatever it is that you value more than your life. Admiral Clyde, with at the cost of his life, managed to save at least hundreds, but he was ultimately unable to end the threat of the Book of darkness"

"So what are you saying, Admiral?" I said. "What is the best way to contain the Book of Darkness, then?"

"I'm not sure," Admiral Graham said. "But if all our present methods prove useless, we may have to think of a new one. The longer it takes, the more times the cycle will repeat, and for every time this happens, people like your father will give their lives to protect many others without a hope of ending the cycle."

As our discussion concluded, I had some idea of the enemy that I thought I would face in the future, and the fact that Graham seemed at a loss for how to deal with this threat gave some idea of the difficulty and importance of doing so. If considerable manpower, magical skill, carefully laid plans and the courage to sacrifice oneself to save others was not enough to eliminate the Book of Darkness, what was? But I could not give up, as I was not the only person who had lost someone to the Book of Darkness; Admiral Clyde Harlaown was my father, but he was important in other ways to many other people. In addition to a father, he was, to various people, a subordinate, a colleague, a superior, a friend and a husband.

* * *

That night, I placed a call to my mother, who answered the phone in her quarters, wearing her uniform.

"Hello, Chrono," Mom said.

"Hi, Mom," I said.

We talked for a few minutes about my lessons and life at the Graham house, and then, I decided to bring up the most pressing subject on my mind, having eased my mother into it.

"Mom…" I began, "Admiral Graham told me about what happened when Dad died. He said he gave his life to save many others from the Book of Darkness."

"I see…" Mom said, unsurprised. I suspected she knew Admiral Graham would eventually tell me about my father's death. "I found out the story much earlier, at the time of your father's funeral. I hope you're not angry with Admiral Graham at all."

"No," I said. "It was a difficult situation for Admiral Graham, and he's less than fully pleased with how it turned out."

"I'm relieved to hear that," Mom said. "The decision to sacrifice himself was your father's, after all. Admiral Graham told me once before that he realized, in the wake of the incident, that people's lives are interconnected, and the loss of one person causes pain to many more. By enabling all those under his command to make it home, your father spared their families and friends such heartache, at least for the moment. I just… I just wish he'd also been one of those people his actions had saved." she said, blinking back tears.

"So do I, Mom," I said.

That night, after Mom and I concluded our conversation, I made a vow to myself, that when the Book of Darkness returned, I would do everything in my power to end its threat once and for all. I could not bring my father back and avenging him would bring only hollow fulfillment, so I would instead fight to change the future, and protect others from experiencing what I had.

* * *

"So that concludes our final lesson," Aria said. I had impressed my teachers, forcing them to actually try in order to defeat me at sparring.

"You've gotten a lot better, Chro-suke!" Lotte said.

"I thank both of you for your teachings," I said. "But while I've improved, I'm still a far cry from your level of skill."

"That's to be expected," Lotte said. "We'd have to be poor excuses for mages for you to reach our level in such a short period of time, but we'd also be poor teachers if you didn't improve at least a little."

"You will have many teachers," Aria said. "There will be instructors at the academy and mentors while on duty, but the most important ones are your experience and what you do on your own. I strongly advise you to keep practicing independently of us or anyone else, learning what you can and developing your own techniques."

"That's what this is all about," Lotte said. "To Father, teaching you the skills you need to be a mage is important, but so is teaching you good habits, so that you can handle situations beyond the scope of your training and improve yourself."

* * *

My training under Admiral Graham and the twins came to an end shortly thereafter, but at that point, I considered it merely the beginning, and still consider myself in the process of improving myself. For the sake of upholding the law, of protecting others and ensuring that the future is better than the past, I cannot afford to be anything less than the best I can be. The Lieze twins instilled in me the methods for improving myself, and Admiral Graham taught me why I should pursue this path.

Those teachings would prove essential when the Book of Darkness resurfaced in my life, when I was no longer an infant waiting in vain for his father to come home, but an Enforcer with the means and ability to protect the innocent from harm and stop past tragedies from reoccurring. I knew there were limits to my abilities, but decided to try as hard as I could, and if none of the options present would work, I would find new ones to deal with the Book of Darkness and other threats.

But how far would I be willing to go? And what cost would I be willing to accept?

* * *

**Author's Note**

To SapphoSensei: Thank you for your review.

It's subtly indicated in the conversation between Graham and Lindy in Episode 7 of A's that Graham blames himself for the incident that resulted in Clyde's death. It's not hard to see that idea, as well as the belief that conventional tactics are doomed to fail, contributing to his coming up with his plan.

This chapter and the rest of the fic highlight one of my beliefs regarding sacrifice. While life is often difficult and people should not stubbornly cling to idealistic decisions even when impractical, often, those advocating the "difficult" decisions can be as naïve as those who make more idealistic choices, particularly if they're convinced that sacrifice is the only option, or that their sacrifice will automatically lead to a happy outcome. Admiral Graham here has both of those faults, as he believes that there is no other way to contain the Book of Darkness and doesn't foresee the flaws in his plan.


	3. A Second Chance

**Chapter 3: A Second Chance**

Finally, the day came when I enrolled in the TSAB academy. I faced a great many challenges there, but Admiral Graham's teachings had prepared me for them, and through what I had learned, hard work and knowing how to learn well, I graduated at the top of the class.

As Admiral Graham had predicted, I saw a different side of my mother on duty. She was as kind, polite and even-tempered as I remembered, but she was also a commander, and when she asked me or anyone else to do something, it was still an order for all intents and purposes. A certain level of formality and professional distance came into our mother-son relationship, but it remained strong. I realized that rather than having become a different person, my mother was mainly playing her part.

And, for that matter, so was I. Many of those I worked with, mainly civilians, tended to see me as overly serious, while many of my fellow Bureau personnel saw me as dedicated to professionalism, if more than was expected. Amy Limietta, a colleague of mine who eventually became my wife, said she liked me most when I stepped away from acting as a Bureau Enforcer and acted as myself. But if that was true, I had to wonder whether Admiral Graham had been also playing the part of an instructor during my time at his home.

* * *

One of the first major cases I took on after becoming a Bureau Enforcer was the Jewel Seed Case. The case is largely a story for another time, and mainly concerns two girls a few years younger than me. But at the end, one of those girls- Fate Testarossa- had lost her mother, and was facing Bureau justice for the crimes she committed in an attempt to help her mother, who had used her to achieve her own goals.

Various people helped Fate during this time. The crew of the Asura testified at Fate's trial, and treated her and Arf much like they had treated Nanoha and Yuuno. My mother helped arrange for more flexibility for Fate, such as moving her from her cell to a room on the ship and letting her stay in touch with Nanoha, and served as her legal guardian.

Admiral Graham was one of the officers who helped Fate during and after her trial. He essentially served as Fate's probation officer, yet he put few restrictions on Fate's actions. This was one of the things I respected about Admiral Graham; he upheld the law, but saw it as more than something to punish wrongdoing. He believed it was meant to encourage people to live in a way that was healthy to both themselves and society. To him, there was no benefit in locking away a girl who was manipulated into doing wrong, but now understood what she had done and wished to atone. Fate repaid his trust by becoming one of the Bureau's top Enforcers and a heroine of Mid-Childia. She also became my adopted sister, and my mother saw Admiral Graham's assistance in this matter as one more case of his helping our family.

Around the time Fate's trial ended, I heard of a series of cases involving attacks on mages, resulting in their Linker Cores being drained. They were out of action for days, but few were badly hurt. Eventually, Nanoha became one of those victims, being outmatched and having her Linker Core drained to fuel the book. Fate, Yuuno and Arf also fought, but they were at a disadvantage until

It then came to light that the guardians of the Book of Darkness were behind this. I was not surprised that the Book had resurfaced, especially given that it had reappeared in the past, and its knights sought out Linker Cores, but was surprised that it would appear so close to me. This was both a great opportunity to put an end to the Book of Darkness once and for all, and a great risk to me and to all those I fought alongside.

I met with Admiral Graham soon after the battle. He saw the return of the Book of Darkness the same way, and said he hoped to reduce the amount of casualties in this incident, while somehow ensuring that there would never be another one. But while our goals were the same, the difference lay in how far we were willing to go to achieve them.

* * *

During our second battle with the Wolkenritter, the first in which we were winning, I was prepared to arrest Shamal, one of the knights. At that moment, a mysterious man, with blue hair similar to mine or my father's, took me by surprise, freeing Shamal long enough to cast a spell to destroy the barrier, enabling the Wolkenritter to retreat. Naturally, this man was an unknown figure, who had not been seen in any of the previous Book of Darkness cases, and did not appear to be the master of the Book, so it became important to uncover who he was working for and why. Unfortunately, he had revealed little about his motivations, much less anything that could be used to guess his identity. This meant that we would likely only see him again when he chose to make an appearance, which I expected would be at the least opportune moment for us.

The man reappeared when Nanoha, Fate and Arf fought against Vita, Signum and Zafira. During this battle a mysterious blackout of our computer systems, caused by someone bypassing the firewalls and hacking into our system, prevented us from watching or communicating with Nanoha and Fate. The masked man took advantage of the confusion and appeared in both of their battles at once. He saved Vita from Nanoha's attack on one world, and took Fate by surprise, and her Linker Core in the process, on another. I discussed this with Aria and Lotte, and we concluded that it was impossible for any person to teleport so far so quickly.

But then I began to wonder. Was it impossible for any person… or any **one** person?

At this point, I realized that there were likely at least two people assisting the Wolkenritter in combat as a masked man, and a Bureau insider involved. By using transformation magic, two people could pretend to be one person in two separate places; I remembered seeing it in a case when a criminal had an accomplice transform to use as a decoy. It was also highly likely that someone in the Bureau helped them gain access to the systems, using his knowledge to avoid or disable the systems in ways that were impossible or more difficult for outsiders. Unless it was somehow a time-release hack, that person was likely separate from the other two helping the Wolkenritter.

Two people skilled in magical combat, plus an experienced Bureau insider able to bypass security and disrupt our operations… This combination immediately sounded familiar to me, and this familiarity was troubling. Searching for the source of the breach in security, I investigated everyone with access to it. Most of the crew of the Asura and those involved in the incident could be accounted for at the time of the second Wolkenritter attack, but Admiral Graham and the Lieze twins could not. In light of this revelation, they stopped being people of interest, and started being full-fledged suspects.

I had to wonder; why would they help the master of the Book of Darkness? Admiral Graham understood the Book of Darkness' history, and it was unlikely that he would try to use it for his own ends. Or was this part of an elaborate plan to seal it away, one to which we were not privy? I realized, however, that part of my reluctance was due to my respect for Admiral Graham, and that even unpleasant possibilities had to be considered, and he was the only suspects I had at the moment. And even if this act was out of character for him, if the evidence linked him to the incident, it fell upon me to arrest him; finding out his motive could wait until after the Wolkenritter's allies were no longer able to interfere.

* * *

Searching for more answers, I started investigating Admiral Graham in the middle of December. He had covered his tracks well, concealing the traces that would have helped me figure out who broke into the system. After days of seemingly fruitless investigation, I found evidence of regular payments to an unknown address on Earth. I was unable to identify the recipient, but the payments went back long in advance of the Book of Darkness Incident.

Around the time I began my investigation, Fate and Nanoha befriended Yagami Hayate, a girl with a mysterious illness that left her crippled, and was slowly paralyzing her body. I did some research, and I found that persistent long-term drain of mana, such as by mages who did not have the mana capacity to support their familiars, had similar effects.

A question then came to mind- what would happen if the master of the Book of Darkness chose not to fill the book? Its full power was tempting, but so was the use of four powerful knights. Surely someone had realized what would become of those who tried to use the Book, and so chose not to do so. But all the masters seemed to suffer the same fate, so there was little to indicate what would have come from doing so.

As usual, it was a slow task getting these pieces to come together. Despite the fact that the Wolkenritter had not been seen since the last incident, I realized that time was against us, and that they were likely getting close to filling the book. If the Bureau did not put pressure on them, they would be able to go into battle against more creatures, enabling them to drain more linker cores, and would not run into any setbacks like in their second battle against us. There also seemed to be a certain desperation to their Linker Core hunts during this period; they were also running out of time, and it was not until later that I realized why.

I was unaware of just how close the Wolkenritter were to completing the book- or that their "benefactors" would intervene before then to put their plan into effect.

* * *

Christmas Eve arrived. According to Nanoha, it's a widely celebrated holiday on Earth, and while I did not go out much during the investigation, I was able to see the decorations. Fate and Nanoha planned to visit Hayate in the hospital. I, on the other hand, decided to see if I could find any information on Graham's plan, in the hopes that the next time the Wolkenritter were spotted, we would be able to remove their masked allies from play and capture the knights.

Finally, I traced the money to its final destination- a house in Uminari City that was listed as Hayate's home address, and everything began to make sense. Her mysterious crippling illness, the "relatives" she spoke of that Nanoha and Fate had never met, and why Admiral Graham would send money to her despite not being related to her at all tied into one cause- she was the mistress of the Book of Darkness, and tied in to his plans.

"Amy- I've realized the identity of the Book of Darkness' master- it's Yagami Hayate!" I said.

"Hayate-chan?" Amy said incredulously. "The girl Fate-chan and Nanoha-chan visit in the hospital?"

"Yes," I said. "I'll have to notify them at once." I dialed Fate's cell phone number, but received no response, not even her voice mail.

"Did I have the wrong number?" I said, mentioning the number I had dialed.

"No, that should be Fate-chan's number," Amy said. "Try Nanoha-chan."

Nanoha's phone had the same results. It was at this point that I realized that no communications were getting through, indicating the presence of a communications-blocking barrier. Apparently, such barriers were as effective against wireless Earth technology as they were against telepathic communications.

"Where… where are the Lieze twins?" I asked, fighting back the urge to panic as I remembered that Admiral Graham had once taught me the value of calmness.

"Admiral Graham said they were on patrol, looking for Wolkenritter activity," Amy said. "They should be looking in the nearby uninhabited worlds."

"That's a lie," I said; the firmness and clarity of my statement surprised even myself. "Amy… I just realized now. Admiral Graham is in on this. He's trying to make sure that the Wolkenritter fill the book. The Lieze twins are helping him."

"I'm sure you've investigated this thoroughly, Chrono-kun, but if Admiral Graham is responsible, why would he do this now? After working so hard, sacrificing so much, to stop the Book of Darkness, why would he allow it to awaken?" Amy's questions echoed the ones that I had asked myself.

"Most likely so that he can control who fills it, and how, and seal it away before it truly awakens," I said.

"It's all so hard to believe..." Amy said. "But knowing you, Chrono-kun, I suppose you've done your investigation work and figured it out."

"Only just now," I said. "But over the past few days, I've been forced to consider this a possibility, as much as it pains me to do so. It's not pleasant, but it's not a complete surprise."

"What do we do now?" Amy said.

"Amy, let the captain know about Admiral Graham's activities and tell her to send backup. I'm heading out to stop this before the book can be filled."

"Got it!" Amy said. "Good luck, Chrono-kun!"

As Amy and I rushed off to perform our respective tasks, I desperately hoped that this was not true for several reasons. Nanoha and Fate were now likely in great danger. The Book of Darkness was nearly full, and would possibly fill by the end of the night with Admiral Graham's help. Lastly, a mentor I had respected had broken the law, betrayed the Bureau and endangered thousands, if not billions of lives.

But there was only one thing to do in the end- my duty. Too many people were counting on my success, and thus I could not allow myself to be paralyzed by doubt or indecision.

* * *

**Author's Note**:

To SapphoSensei: Thank you again for your review. Chrono is a victim of the Book in that he lost his father, and it's thus moving to see him strive to end its threat without going to the same lengths Graham does, as he points out in what he says to Graham in Episode 12 of A's.

It's never explicitly said when or how Chrono found out about Graham (although early in Episode 9, you can see him looking at a picture of Graham on the computer, which could indicate that he was investigating him on Christmas Eve and only found out about him then). A large part of why I decided to write this is so I could show how Chrono was affected by the revelation. As before, Chrono was most likely shocked at some point, but his stoic personality, and gradually getting to the bottom of things likely enabled him to come to terms with it.


	4. Truth

**Chapter 4: Truth**

I was too late. By the time I had arrived where Nanoha and Fate had been fighting the Wolkenritter on the rooftops of Uminari City, the Wolkenritter had already been absorbed into the book, completing it and enabling it to possess Hayate's body.

The Lieze Twins, in their disguises, stood back, watching Nanoha and Fate fight the Book of Darkness-possessed Hayate, seeing their efforts as a means to buy time to enact their plan. The silver lining on this cloud was that this gave me an opportunity to take them by surprise, and I placed them in a magical bind that dispelled their transformations, and exposed their true identities.

No one was more surprised by this than they were; it was not a skill they had taught me, but one I had developed on my own, in order to capture a criminal who was able to assume the identities of others. But while I was past the point at which I could be surprised, my heart sank a little to discover that I had not prematurely or falsely arrived at the conclusion; that the Lieze Twins were involved in this illegal and morally dubious plan to contain the Book of Darkness. Worse, their involvement was the final confirmation of my theory that this was all part of Admiral Graham's plan.

But for my sake, for the sake of the investigation, and for the sake of finding out if there was a way to stop the Book of Darkness, I had to take them into custody. I needed to learn what Admiral Graham had planned, and whether he knew anything that could help me stop the Book of Darkness once and for all.

* * *

By the time I teleported back to headquarters, Admiral Graham was already confined to his office and under guard. The twins tried to claim that the plan was their idea alone, but Admiral Graham admitted everything, with a voice that neither indignantly defended his actions nor completely regretted them. He had reservations about what he had attempted to do, but believed it was necessary to avert a greater disaster.

The plan was, as I thought, to fill the Book of Darkness outside the Bureau's jurisdiction, and then seal it away with its master in a prison of ice, before leaving it in another dimension. There was a sort of harsh logic to choosing Hayate as a sacrifice. As an orphan who, until recently, had no friends, she would have few people to grieve for her, and if the plan succeeded, the sacrifice of one person would have saved countless more from future incarnations of the book. But she was also not a criminal, and while few people would mourn her, no one could say she had done anything to deserve this fate. Indeed, I thought of my father, and remembered that people who die often leave behind those who miss them. Hayate would leave behind the doctor who had cared for her for years, as well as the friends she had made in the past month. Was this fair to them?

There was also no guarantee of the plan succeeding, as I realized that magical effects could be undone, whether by deliberate action or time; magical fires could be extinguished, and magical ice could melt. It was thus possible for someone to one day reverse the seal on the book and gain access to its power. And if this plan failed, sacrificing Hayate would have been for nothing. My father may have failed to permanently destroy the Book of Darkness, but he died so that others might live. Furthermore, he had chosen to make this sacrifice on his own, without having been ordered to lay down his life or been cast aside.

Lotte made one last-ditch attempt to convince me, saying that the law was not worth following at the cost of the lives of people like my father, but Admiral Graham silenced her. My father's death and his belief that he was responsible may have driven Admiral Graham more than he wanted to admit, but he did not seem to care for using my father in an attempt to emotionally manipulate me into playing along with his plan. If nothing else, he realized that it would not work on someone who made every effort to leave his feelings out of his work.

As an Enforcer, as the son of one of the Book of Darkness' victims, and as myself, I could not accept this plan, and so I excused myself to go to assist Nanoha and Fate, who had since been joined by Arf and Yuuno in their fight against the Book of Darkness.

As I was leaving, Admiral Graham had Aria give me the Durandal, a powerful ice-type Device that was the keystone of his plan, saying it was useless to them now and it was up to me how I would use it. Perhaps he was admitting defeat. Perhaps he realized that his plan would not have worked; I had pointed out that it would be possible to retrieve the Book from where it was hidden. Or perhaps he simply trusted me, his student, to see this through to the end, regardless of whether I would try to go through with something like his plan, or try for a better solution.

And so, I set out to do what had never been done before, and succeed where so many Bureau mages and Belkan knights failed. Admiral Graham's teachings may have helped me up until this point, and even during the battle, but the solution to the problem of the Book of Darkness was one that my allies and I had to find on our own.

* * *

**Author's Note**

One strange part is why the Lieze Twins in their "Masked Man" form look somewhat like Admiral Clyde, although the resemblance doesn't seem to go beyond being a man with blue hair. It's possible that they were trying to make him hesitate (Lotte, in Episode 10, brings up Admiral Clyde's fate as a consequence of following the law), although the resemblance doesn't seem to register with Chrono.

It's indicated that Admiral Graham doesn't like his plan (he mentions that he's heartbroken over the prospect of having to freeze Hayate, and sympathizes with her for her parents' death), but doesn't see any other choice. There's also the possibility that Chrono did, in fact, convince him that he's wrong, since he doesn't put much effort into arguing with Chrono's points after Chrono says that Hayate doesn't deserve to be frozen. This, combined with the fact that this story is told from Chrono's perspective, is why I had his motives for handing Chrono the Durandal ambiguous. The next chapter will go into how he reacts when he sees that the heroes have found a way to permanently end the threat of the Book of Darkness with minimal sacrifice.

On a side note, in the dub, I've noticed Chrono doesn't call Graham "sir" at any point when he's confronting him in Episode 10, although he keeps referring to him as "Admiral".


	5. Bittersweet Resolution

**Chapter 5: Bittersweet Resolution**

I arrived just in time to assist in the final battle against the defense program of the Book of Darkness. Two things I did not think possible happened that night- we put an end to the threat of the defense program, and I fought alongside the servants of the artifact that had essentially killed my father.

Granted, it was not the Wolkenritter, or even Reinforce, who had done so, but my perception of them was changed that night. I had once seen them as my enemies, but now I saw them as much the victims of the Book of Darkness as anyone else. Like Admiral Graham, they desperately pursued the only solution they knew of, albeit for a somewhat different goal. In order to save the life of the mistress they loved so dearly, they pursued a solution that caused harm to others, but sought to minimize the harm by not killing their opponents and only going after magical creatures or those who chose to attack them. And once they realized their methods were wrong, they joined the Bureau to atone, as well as to put their magical skill toward a good cause. Sadly, the incarnation of the Tome of the Night Sky itself- named Reinforce- sacrificed herself so that Hayate and her knights could live on- a choice she made herself for all of their sakes.

A different path awaited the soon to be former Admiral Graham and his familiars.

* * *

"I see…" Graham said with a sigh, as I told him how the case had been resolved. "If I had thought this possible…"

A twinge of pity went through my mind as I heard the remorse in Graham's voice. Hindsight is always 20/20, and I had to concede that while I was trying to stop the Wolkenritter and their accomplices, I had little idea of how to permanently end the threat of the Book of Darkness.

"I'm not sure anyone would have," I said. "And most of the credit for this plan goes to Nanoha, Fate and Hayate. They, through the determination to save everyone and the courage to do what has not been done before, came up with a new solution to the problem- possibly the only real one."

Graham gave a slight chuckle, but did not smile.

"How ironic that they would have learned the lesson that I've forgotten," Graham said. "There is no longer any place for me in the Bureau, but even if I hadn't done what I had done, the Book of Darkness has been sealed away with a method I hadn't considered. I've lost sight of what I originally valued, and it's time for me to step down."

The Lieze twins, standing nearby, remained silent. Familiars tended to follow their masters even if their plans were illegal or immoral, whether because it was part of their contract or because of loyalty; Arf had stayed by Fate's side even though she hated Precia and did not think Fate would get what she wanted by following Precia's orders. But the Lieze twins agreed with Graham that the Book of Darkness needed to be stopped, even if sacrifices had to be made; given that they were on the bridge of his ship with him the day my father died, it's easy to see how they came to the same conclusion. But now, faced with the same news that Graham was, they were also beginning to understand that their plan was not the right way to deal with the Book of Darkness, much less the only way.

"The Bureau has decided not to press charges in exchange for quietly leaving- you were informed of the confidentiality associated with this… incident?" Graham said.

"I was," I said. "And, regardless of what my feelings are, I intend to abide by it."

"Thank you, Chrono," Graham said.

"But what about Hayate?" I said after a moment of thought. "Will you tell her at some point? Will you continue supporting her?"

"I intend to tell her everything one day, when she is prepared to leave home, and continue to support her until that time comes; it's the least I can do for her. I don't expect her to forgive me for planning on using her and casting her aside, while making ultimately insignificant gestures for her well being. I only hope that when the time comes, if she does not wish to see or hear from me again, she can cut ties with me without worrying about her welfare."

"I understand," I said. I wondered just how Hayate perceived her benefactor, and realized that she and Graham had been in correspondence for years, whereas she had only met her knights half a year ago, and Nanoha and the rest of her friends less than a month ago. Finding out the truth behind Graham's years-long deception would be a harsh blow to her, but I hoped she would also be able to come to terms with it; her determination to shoulder the responsibility for what her knights had done was proof that she was a very strong individual.

"Very good," Graham said. "That should cover the last of my obligations to the Bureau."

I silently pondered whether this was fair. Graham could be seen as escaping punishment, but what good would punishing him do? He clearly no longer intended to do anything of the sort again, and so there would be no need to rehabilitate him or lock him away for the most likely relatively short remainder of his life. For better or for worse, because his part in the case was declared classified, few would know of his actions, and few would know about the part of him that I and the others involved in his arrest would.

Every time in the years to come, when I met those who spoke respectfully of Admiral Graham, I had to wonder- how would they react if they were introduced to this side of him? And what if they had also known him as a mentor, as I had? Perhaps Graham's reputation would remain unmarred as he became part of Bureau history, or perhaps the truth would come out years later. In either case, the Bureau would be unable to look at one of its most respected the authorities the same way it once had.

"But if you'll permit me one last lesson, Chrono?" he said. I nodded in response, feeling as though he at least deserved a hearing. "When you spoke with me on Christmas Eve, and said my plan was illegal, immoral and ineffective, you spoke with conviction and resolve. It was clear that nothing, not even what Lotte planned to say, could have swayed you from that. I felt the same way when I saved the two surviving newborn kittens who eventually became Aria and Lotte. You may face difficult decisions in the years to come, but never forget that sense of moral clarity. Perhaps if I had listened to my own doubts all along, as well as my belief that this was wrong, things may not have come to this."

As Admiral Graham began to leave, I realized that while I had learned much about him during the last few days, what I knew already had changed far less than I had thought. He had sought to save as many people as possible, as he always had, but he had allowed himself to compromise, in believing that some people not only could not be saved, but had to be sacrificed to such an end. How much did he value those individual lives he was saving, in that case? My question was also a question he asked himself after his plan had failed, and should have in the beginning.

And yet, he had taught me much about being a Bureau mage and military officer. In spite of its ignoble end, there were many things he had accomplished throughout his career and many kind acts he had performed. Even if he had gone against some of his teachings, his doing so did not mean that they were wrong. He might have been driven to his plan by guilt over a past failure, but he was correct that learning from mistakes was important. And the the threat of the Book of Darkness had been ended by the use of a new solution, even if it was not one he had envisioned. He was no longer the person I had envisioned, but many of the traits I respected about him were, in fact, still present within him.

There was one thing left to say- the simple truth.

"Admiral Graham, Lieze," I said, causing them to turn around. "In spite of what happened, I'm still grateful for your teachings. Thank you."

Those we look up to are never perfect and are sometimes deeply flawed. Sometimes, they changed for the worse, and other times, those flaws were there all along, merely unknown to us. But we can learn from those people, follow the good examples they set, and work to set a better example to those who come after us. It is ultimately up to us to choose our own path, to emulate the best of the ones we respect, cast off their flaws, and find new solutions to the current and new challenges we face.

* * *

**Author's note**

Thank you for reading this story and for the reviews.

Granted, Graham is something of a Karma Houdini, but I think it's the result of the Bureau thinking that punishing him is not worth the trouble that would have been caused by an admiral being outed as a criminal. This is not to say that Chrono necessarily agrees, but I wanted to explore some of the reasons for what happened. As for Chrono and the others, I can see them accepting both the good and the bad about Graham, instead of excusing his actions or declaring that Graham is nothing to them any longer.

As for how Hayate will react once she hears of Graham's plan for her, that's something I plan to explore in another story, possibly as part of a larger work. I had hoped to see some more follow-up to it in the main series, although I've heard that the Gears of Destiny addresses how the Yagami family feels about the twins and Admiral Graham once they learn about who was responsible for the plan to seal Hayate away.

So ends my story about Chrono's experiences with a "Broken Pedestal." At some point in the near future, I will revise and publish a story I wrote earlier about Teana and Runessa, which was intended as a predecessor of sorts to this story, in that it had a similar plot and concept.


End file.
